Tag: climate action
BC and Washington State sign Cross-Border Climate Action Plans
The province of British Columbia (BC) and the state of Washington have signed two climate action plans to strengthen cross-border efforts to reduce carbon emissions while advancing the low-carbon economy.
The province of British Columbia (BC) and the state of Washington have signed two climate action plans to strengthen cross-border efforts to reduce carbon emissions while advancing the low-carbon economy.
On February 2, 2011, BC Minister of State for Climate Action John Yap and Washington Department of Ecology Director Ted Sturdevant signed plans on limiting carbon emissions from government operations and promoting awareness of the impacts of sea level rise on coastal areas.
Under the climate action plans, entitled “Joint Action Plan on Carbon Neutral Government” and “Joint Action Plan on Awareness and Outreach for Coastal Impacts of Climate Change”, BC and Washington will:
- demonstrate how to make government operations as carbon-neutral as possible, sharing information and drawing on BC’s success in achieving a carbon-neutral public sector.
- further strengthen engagement with British Columbians and Washingtonians about how sea level rise threatens critical shore areas and communities.
- BC and Washington State have been working together on climate issues since signing a Memorandum of Understanding on Climate Action in 2007. These new action plans build on existing climate-related partnerships between BC and Washington, including:
- Pacific Coast Collaborative – representing joint efforts by BC, Washington, Oregon, California, and Alaska on energy, transportation, climate change, and ocean issues.
- Washington-British Columbia Memorandum of Understanding on Coastal Climate Change Adaptation – holding joint science workshops, exchanging information on sea-level rise projections and mapping, sharing information on Green Shores programs, and Washington and B.C. “king tide” photo initiatives.
- Salish Sea Ecosystem/Puget Sound-Georgia Basin Ecosystem Research Conference – the largest, most comprehensive scientific research and policy conference that focuses on issues impacting the region known as the Salish Sea. BC and Washington take turns hosting the biennial conference.
In addition, BC and Washington state are active participants in the Western Climate Initiative, a cooperative effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in seven U.S. states and four Canadian provinces.
The action plans can be viewed online.